Topic: Anyone Else Concerned with Nintendo's First Party Output Recently?

@Bolt_Strike
As a counter point the way development would work would mean that a new entry isn't always in the works. Especially for a game like Mario Kart the team wouldn't have been jumping straight from one Mario Kart to the next. Infact we know after Mario Kart 8 that people from that team moved onto Arms, Mario Kart Tour, Switch Sports. Do we know what a lot of the main people from that team has been working on since Arms? No, we don't. But it doesn't necessarily have to be Mario Kart.

Same deal with Mario. After Odyssey where did those people go? Well a lot of them worked on Bowser's Fury but people from that team have also been involved with games like Smash Bros, 3D All Stars and Captain Toad in the past. Do we know what these people have been doing since Bowser's Fury? Well no, we don't. But it's not necessarily a 3D Mario

Also there would be different phases of development, especially for a software product like a game. You'd have the early stages of development where there's a relatively small team coming up with concepts, technologies and so on. Then you'd bring on more people as you get into the heavy grind phase. Then for the last bit you're mostly doing testing and polish. These days you'll also have a post-release phase for patches and post-launch DLC.

But given each phase has different needs inevitably there will be some people who are only involved in some of those stages. So what do you do with all those developers/artists/testers during those phases they're not needed? Put them on another project. Which is why you wouldn't necessarily dive from one game in a franchise directly into the next

I’m going to start doing research on this game devs and development, because ai didn’t know all this.

I had a great time with Nintendo's games this generation. When this is done, I will look back at it and think, this was objectively the best generation yet. I have more than enough games to play as is, but now I may also start to play more retro games. Of course if I only played first party games I might think differently.

If the console releases 2024 I am fine with that. And I do not mind if it releases earlier. I might even be starting to wait for a revisioned model like the oled Switch before purchasing.

If this gen ends soon, It'll probably end up being the worst gen. A system robbed of Potential before it was even able to really get good. Like, just now am I starting to actually enjoy new AAA switch releases. For the longest time the generation just sucked. Nintendo felt like they were growing complacent, and the fact that they no longer make many of the IPs they held for handheld consoles just sucks. The 3DS is truly the last Nintendo console I actually enjoyed, and still continue to enjoy to this day.

It's interesting to read how some people percieve not releasing the same ip again as complacent, whereas I regard not releasing new ideas as such. Remember, Nintendo don't think 'Let's make an F-Zero game.' They come up with an idea then wonder if it would suit whatever franchise. Granted platforming and adventure ideas are kinda taken but racing ideas have more options where to go. If you introduced weapons to F-Zero, I dare say it would stop being F-Zero. Either way, Switch has become my fave console ever. Nintendo has made some fine games this gen. I don't get why people are starting to think they've stopped lol.

@GrailUK Well, for me I've been mostly unhappy with almost every first party game they've released aside from like Luigi's Mansion 3, Splatoon 2, and BotW. It would also be nice to see some dead series that would fill niches left in the library, like getting another Tomodachi Life, or getting another game like Nintendogs again.

@VoidofLight Hey that's fair enough, mate. Life would be dull if we were all the same

No.

@VoidofLight

Can you name some of the games you are really unhappy about and what you did not like about them? I am simply curious. Of course it is alright to dislike stuff other people like.

@Jhena I wasn't a fan of Super Mario Odyssey, since every time I play it I just get like a soulless feeling from it. Something about it just feels wrong to me, and I can't place my finger as to why. Kirby Star Allies, while not being an AAA, was ruined by the update model. Animal Crossing New Horizons does some things better than New Leaf, but is more of a dollhouse sim than a Life sim, and I'm not a fan of the direction it took. The post-launch updates also took me out of the experience, all because the base game launched with barely any content. Mario Party burned me, and then Super Stars was a bit better, but I still don't like it really.

Mario Maker 2 just feels boring for me to play, but I don't really feel like I'm a big fan of Mario Maker, and half the fun just comes with playing the levels for me. WarioWare Get it Together isn't AAA either, but it feels more inferior to Gold on 3DS. Xenoblade 2 was fine, but it's not the best, and I don't like it as much as I liked 1. Xenoblade 3 is also fine. I dislike the Mario Kart 8 DLC, but Deluxe was alright. The DLC just feels extremely low quality, despite the amount of courses you get within it.

@GrailUK Complacent definitely isn't the term I'd use but I do think there's a missed opportunity regarding the huge collection of unused older games not playable on the Switch. Franchise gaps could be filled with ports/remasters/remakes like with DK a HD remaster of Donkey Kong Country Returns with the graphics of the Wii version but the content of the 3DS version (3DS got extra levels), for F-Zero a HD remaster of F-Zero GX with online play, etc.

Then again, we did see this kind of approach in the late 3DS era (e.g. Luigi's Mansion in 2018, Metroid Samus Returns in 2017) so maybe it will happen but not until the next hardware releases as a way to continue supporting the Switch.

I'm genuinely confused by what you're saying here. I mean I loved the 3DS but when I look down its library of games there isn't a lot there that the Switch doesn't have. Mario Kart, Pokemon, New SMB, Animal Crossing, Smash Bros, Luigi's Mansion, 2D Zelda, 3D Zelda remaster, Mario Maker, Happy Home Designer, Fire Emblem, DKC, Kirby, Paper Mario, Yoshi's Island, Kirby. I mean there are some games that haven't transitioned but not a whole lot when you think about it. I mean you're saying now Tomodachi Life and Nintendogs but.... Nintendogs kinda fizzled on 3DS and the Switch has MiiTopia so...

Also "ending too soon". Come on. Lets say new hardware releases alongside the next Zelda in May. Hypothetically. If it did the Switch would've been 6 years and 2 months before it got a successor. Here's how that looks compared to other Nintendo consoles (using US dates):

The Switch right now has already been on the shelf for longer than the GBC, GBA, Wii U, GC, SNES and N64 were before they were replaced by their immediate successors. By the time Tears of the Kingdom releases it will overtake the NES, Wii and 3DS and only be just barely behind the DS. If they wait until late next year? It'll be the longest console cycle for Nintendo outside of the original Gameboy

So no, if new hardware released the Switch most definitely would not be "ending too soon". Despite all of the efforts of recent years attempting to mess with our concept of time the Switch is already one of the longest lived Nintendo consoles

@VoidofLight

Those are some interesting points and since this is your personal stance I will not argue against it. The update policy is really not that great and one of the reasons why I do not want to buy games day one anymore, not even Nintendo games. And I propably will not buy any Nintendo Sports or Mario Party game anymore.

What exactly do you not like about the direction New Horizons took? Is it the setting?

@Grumblevolcano Oh don't get me wrong, I would welcome remasters / remakes of classic games on Switch by Nintendo. I've said before, slap gyro aim on Ocarina of Time and it's a day one for me (again lol) I can't get too hyped about an F-Zero GX remaster whilst the Switch doesn't have the analogue triggers, mind you, I suppose we could always use Gamecube controllers, if we can find one. But I'm always reminded of an anecdote of an artist who was chuffed to bits and got a job at Marvel comics. He pencilled a couple of issues prior to them being published and he was told it's not what they are looking for, can he draw like Jim Lee. He said no and was given loads of back issues and told to trace as much as he could. So sure, for us fans to play those games again would be great, but for the creative types at Nintendo, it's gotta be a little soul destroying. They could farm them out, but then that process is always going to play second fiddle to their main vision. Like you said, it's something that can bridge a gap between an old console and a newer one while teams work on new stuff for the new system. But as we don't know what their next system is, it's difficult to guess.

@Bolt_Strike I did read your OP, honest, just must've got light headed towards the end 😆 Sorry for missing it.

This is where I am with Switch...

In spite of my love for Wii U, N3DS, Wii and GameCube, each one of which has a legitimate claim to being my favourite system, I cannot deny my love for Switch - apart from the lack of analogue triggers (and hence the lack of quality racing games) and an annoying habit of my SL & SR rail ribbons breaking, Switch is close to everything I could hope for. I love it so much I've bought 7 different versions and counting...

...But, undeniably, as legendary as it is already becoming, if it were to get an Odyssey 2 (like Wii had Galaxy 2), another Donkey Kong, and just a few more of Nintendo's currently underused IPs, it would move into an almost unsurpassable position as the indisputable GOAT.

So I would love Nintendo to put out some more of its core IPs on Switch to really cement its GOAT status, but I have so much already I've lost count - probably in excess of 500 titles physical/digital combined, and that's not even counting the individual SEGA, SNK, Mega Man etc. games I have in collection releases. So the slower release of first party games is mildly disappointing, but something I can totally live with - there's not a game I own on Switch that I feel I've wrung dry, I could go back to any of them and get plenty more hours out of them, they're just so good and so full of fun stuff to do.

I feel like I’m actually swimming in Nintendo games right now. Probably got more games for the switch than I have for many other generations and still have a longish wish list.

@GrailUK
You know now you mention it I think the Switch has been lacking a bit in terms of Nintendo published "new" games. As in not necessarily just new IP but including stuff like existing IP with a new spin on it. The Switch has been pretty weak in that regard

Off the top of my head there's obviously Arms and Astral Chain technically although it's Platinum Games. Ring Fit Adventure technically is in the same boat even if it's only ever going to live on Switch, 1-2 Switch is also in that category although nobody's going to really count it. Mario & Rabbids is definitely on the list. I'd put Bowser's Fury, Pokemon Legends Arceus and Kirby and the Forgotten Land in the category of "OoT level revisiting" to the point where they count

But beyond that? It's very ports and new versions of the same games. Some of them great ports and top tier sequels. A lot of the best entries in most of Nintendo's franchises live on the Switch. But overall, not a lot of new ideas going around on the Switch. A lot of safe games, some very polished but all pretty safe

It's easy to throw stones as the Wii U but at least there there was a LOT of new ideas going on. Super Mario Maker, Splatoon, Captain Toad, Pokken Tournament, Hyrule Warriors, The Wonderful 101. Even Super Mario 3D World, as much as people complained at the time it was no Galaxy, was a pretty unique spin on Mario. Even the "demo the Wii U" game Nintendo Land, probably the one reason why I might still want to dust off my Wii U at some point. And is there anything retro the Switch has done that was as good as NES Remix?

Of course the Switch eventually got most of those things one way or another. But I don't think the Switch has really been a place for new ideas to come from. The Switch is a console where people who skipped the Wii U discovered how good the games on the Wii U was. The Wii U was the console where they were able to take risks because nobody was watching

@skywake Well, I'm not going to list them all, but there is certainly some truth in your point of borrowing heavily from a console that is better for them they forget ever existed lol. But it's not like anyone can blame them (particulalry in hindsight!) and may be a contributing factor for the console having such a long lifespan? I do think it's fair to say the Switch has pretty much the best version of particular franchises, but Labo and Mario Home Circuit for me shows a level of creativity with a home console that is rather out there! Not sure how sustainable their output is (I suppose they go on to other consoles after they run out of Wii U games) but we have another 5 years to see.

Here is a thing.
There are two different kind of gamers.
The gamers who worried too much for mainstream games like zelda, splatoon, xenoblade, metroid, fortnite, FIFA, AAA Western games etc so they will get anxious easily for uncertain future release. These gamers are the peoples here who keep complaining about lack of AAA Western games or mainstream games output.
The other one, the gamers who don't even care with zelda, xenoblade, splatoon, FIFA, fortnite, metroid, AAA Western games, etc as other games especially the unpopular games are way more appealing than those mainstream games. In this case, that gamer is me. 😁